The Ice Club
by Renoku
Summary: There are several people in the world with secrets - powers. In the town of Burgess, there seems to be a unique surplus of these people. One day, they all came together, and created the Ice Club. But what if their new member has no secret to share? Crossover of RoTG, Frozen, HTTYD, Epic, Brave, Tangled, and The Croods. Focus on the first two. Warnings: Mild language and violence.
1. Prologue

To gain access into the room, one had to give the secret knock. It was a sort of odd rhythm: a three-beat, followed by two, then another three, and finally one. Of course the first founding member was the one to make it, and all for lack of creativity when it came to its secrecy.

The boy proceeded to tap out the beat on every surface, his mind constantly thinking about the room far beneath the toyshops' basement.

He'd named it the Ice Club arrogantly after his own abilities, never mind any of the others. But it wasn't completely inaccurate, given the group of individuals that attended the meetings. Every day, except Thursdays – the day when the three founding members went out to the usual gravesite – they met underneath the ancient town library. They never did much, usually just helped each other with homework.

The flower girl and the animal lover were the smartest. The former usually ended up helping the archer with her literature. The latter, on the other hand, drew constantly, thinking of more ways to help his 'secret pet', while the first founder bugged him incessantly.

The archer was the forth member after the first three. They'd never thought much of her outside of her athletic ability, but then they'd discovered her sight, and quickly they'd tapped out the knock on her forehead.

The fifth member was the toymaker, an old man that knew just as much of the sight, and the ice, and the 'little lizard' as the four kids. He'd known just what they were up to when he'd caught them snooping around the back of the storage closet. Sure, the first founder had tried to explain that they were looking for some "extra supplies" as he put it, but the man had just shrugged them off. In truth he'd known about them the entire time, but hadn't really minded, just grateful for the company. He didn't attend every meeting, too wrapped up in running his business, but he looked out for them, like a second father.

Their sixth member was the librarian, a self-proclaimed psychic. She flitted into the group as often as she could, if only to see the developments in their powers. But then she'd brought along the seventh member, a shapeshifter. The first founder had protested, only to be won out by the animal lover. From then on, the shapeshifter came every day – except Thursday – to join in with sketching and generally poking fun at the first founder.

Occasionally the eighth member visited, a stout man that could hypnotize with just a glance. But he was kindly enough, and when he did stop by, it was the same as the librarian, only to check.

Then the ninth member, the battalion girl, barged in, demanding answers. From here came many problems, but everything settled down eventually, and she enjoyed the company of the archer and the animal lover. She caused chaos weekly, only to the annoyance of the first founder, but to no one else except possibly the shapeshifter as well.

The tenth and eleventh members were the leaf man and the fire boy, respectfully. The former had the speed, while the latter had the creative genius that worked his mind every day. They both got along swell with the first founder, and the animal lover, mainly because they were actually invited, the first since the librarian.

The leaf man's girlfriend, the scientist, came one day, and became the twelfth member. She was like him, in every aspect, but she still had a little more sight to detail. She and the archer talked about it and argued about it all the time.

The thirteenth member was the snow queen. With an elegance and grace she possessed only in public, the Ice Club became a sanctuary for her.

But now as she walked down the steps, nodding at the toymaker as she passed by, she shook visibly, shivering. Her footsteps created the trails of her passing, even though she had the most control over her powers. The first founder admired her for that, but it didn't stop her from letting it go occasionally.

She reached the bottom of the staircase, feeling the darkness around her, and raised a hand to the wooden door.

A three-beat, two, another three, and finally a one.

The flower girl opened the door.

"Oh! Elsa's here!" she said, greeting the girl and letting her in.

The snow queen entered the room below the basement, trying to maintain her composure.

Only a single, dim lantern lit the vast chamber, hanging from the center of the stone ceiling. Over the past months, the Club had installed tables, benches, enough for at least twenty people. The first founder and the battalion girl insisted on getting a television, but the toymaker had no means of getting a wire down that far.

"Oi, having you two in the same room does wonders for the bones," complained the shapeshifter, rolling his shoulders. He stood up from his seat near the back, crossing over to the animal lover.

The fire boy laughed. "Do you want me to warm it up for you, Aster?" he asked playfully. Something had made him excited for today.

"No, Guy, I think I can manage," the shapeshifter shot back.

The archer looked up from her boring literature work, noticing the snow queen's expression.

"Elsa," she began, concern etched in her deep Scottish accent, "are you alright?"

The cold the already permeated the room suddenly plummeted a few extra degrees south. The flower girl shivered, and made to reach out a hand towards the snow queen, but hesitated, and pulled away. The battalion girl looked up, and studied the snow queen curiously.

"I think Elsa's the last one for today," she announced. "Tooth's been busy this whole week, and I think Sandy doesn't come back in town until tomorrow."

The snow queen protested, "I – I wanted everyone to hear this."

The leaf man piped up from near the back, "We're all here, so tell us. Sandy and Tooth will catch up later."

The snow queen hesitated, wringing her gloved hands before her anxiously.

The scientist said, "Elsa, what is it?"

The snow queen took a deep breath into her lungs, closing her eyes tight, before she blurted, "I've been thinking about who our next member could be."

The entire room fell silent.

When no one spoke, the snow queen continued, "I know I've just gotten here, and that maybe it won't matter… She's not like us. She's not like any of us, I mean. She's… perfectly normal. But I want her to join."

One by one, everyone turned their heads to the back of the room. The snow queen peered into the dim edge of the wall, where the lantern light didn't reach. She squinted, desperately trying to find the form out.

"Well," spoke a light voice, "No one's really normal, Elsa. Who is it?"

The snow queen hesitated, before speaking timidly, "She's my sister, Anna."

The strike of wood against the stone sent bright blue sparks into the air. They lit up with the cold, and frost spread across the stone. A pale foot appeared into the new light. Elsa gulped nervously, and followed the foot up to the boy's face.

The first founding member, Jack, smiled genuinely, his blue eyes bright with joy.

"Well then," he announced, "Let's get started."

* * *

**A/N**: BEHOLD MY 1 AM CROSSOVER PLOT BUNNY

Yeah this is gonna be awesome, and it's gonna be more than a drabble. I hope you enjoy. This is gonna be a lot of everything, and maybe more.

Anyways, I'm tired, so that's all I have to say right now as I'm about to pass out (and probably regret this but not rewrite it for details and such).

Hope you enjoy!  
~Renoku


	2. Jack

Maybe everything would have worked out if he hadn't found the stick.

"Hey, frosty-freak! Get out here so I can beat your ass!"

"Oh, god," Jack breathed. He cursed to himself, trying not to lose his mind.

It had been a great day, up until ten minutes ago. Well, as great a day as any Thursday could have been. Actually, now that he had a moment to think about it, it had been a bad day from the beginning.

* * *

"I'm sorry Jack, I just can't today. I know it's a Thursday, and that you need to go there, but if I don't make up this test, then my grade is going to fall!"

Jack rolled his brown eyes, and shouted, "It's one test, Hiccup! It's not the end of the world!"

Hiccup folded his arms firmly, and replied, "Well to my father it is, and then I'll never be able to come with you on Thursday. He's already upset that I still go after ten years, and he wants me to take those fighting classes on Thursdays."

"Haven't you told him you can't?"

"That's not going to make a difference, Jack. You know it won't."

Jack groaned, bringing his hands up to rub his face. He turned on Rapunzel, glaring as fiercely as he could with his icy gaze.

"What's your excuse?" he demanded of the blonde.

She huffed, readjusting the textbooks in her arms. Her green eyes flicked timidly down to her feet. "Mother's been… difficult lately. I – You know I want to go, Jack. Or, well, it's not that I _want_ to, but I _have _to, you know? I mean, if I could… she just said she needed me at home today. I don't want to make her mad again."

Jack let his eyes drop in shame, feeling the heat burning in his face. He rubbed his eyes again, and ran his fingers through his brown hair.

"You know, you really should call someone when those things happen," he said.

"Please," Rapunzel scoffed, trying weakly to smile. "She's not _abusive_. Just… it weighs on you for a couple days, and finals are coming up soon."

Jack chuckled softly. "It sucks that my two best friends are nerds."

"It gives us more excuses," Hiccup said, shouldering his satchel that was stuffed to the brim with art sketchbooks and coloring supplies, as well as a few books on animal care that he always kept on hand. "You should try it sometime, Jack. Maybe you're grades will come up."

"My grades are average," Jack shot back. "So after ten years of… this, you're just leaving me?"

"It's one week, Jack," Rapunzel countered. "You've skipped out on it before; don't act like you haven't. There was that one time I went by myself. And then when Mr. Haddock took us all on vacation to Iceland for a month–"

"That wasn't a vacation," Jack said. "It was work, farm work, for an entire month–"

"And you discovered your career path," Hiccup interrupted. "Rapunzel's right, it's just one week. And you've done it before."

Jack stuck out his bottom lip in a small pout. "I still don't like it. But fine, as long as you all bring extra gifts next week."

"We always do, Jack," Hiccup reassured him, already turning away. "I'll see you when you get home. The door will be unlocked, but Dad might not be back from work yet."

Jack hummed in reply, before he asked, "Do you want me to put anything for you?"

"No; there should still be some breadcrumbs left from last week."

"You're so weird."

"See you later, Jack," Hiccup said, before he walked away down the near empty school hallway.

Rapunzel looked after him, some concern still lingering in her large eyes, before she turned back to Jack. "Oh, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she reached an arm out to offer up a hug.

Awkwardly, Jack accepted it, trying to ignore the jab of the textbooks into his stomach.

"I love you," Rapunzel murmured, "Be safe."

"I will be," Jack answered. "See you tomorrow."

Rapunzel backed off, and gave Jack one more concerned glance, before she walked away.

Their footsteps faded on the tiles of the echoing hallway. Jack stood there, looking after them both as they rounded the corner. Sighing, he turned in the opposite direction, heading for his locker.

The sound of the metal clanging was loud in the empty hall. Jack shrugged his backpack off and zipped it open, taking out all his textbooks except math. He'd have Hiccup help him with the homework for that class. Maybe he'd finish the rest in the cafeteria tomorrow morning.

The picture of the smiling little girl and the young woman hung from the locker door, frayed at the edges. Even after more than a decade, it still looked glossy on the surface.

Jack took out the small bundle of green plants he'd stashed there earlier in the day. He held them up to his nose, and smelled them lightly: rosemary.

The locker slammed shut with another loud clang.

As he made his way outside, he kept his eyes on the plant in his hands. Emma had always loved rosemary.

It felt numb to him now, and he only thought about it on Thursdays. It gave him relief, though, so at least he thought about it sometimes. At least he never forgot about them.

Too immersed in his thoughts, he wasn't paying attention when he pushed open the door to leave the school. Apparently, neither was the girl rushing in.

She crashed into him, slamming him back against the wooden door. The handle dug into his back, and he grunted, automatically bringing his hands up to the girl's arms. His fingers clutched her winter coat, the thick fabric nearly slipping under his fingers, but he held fast, and looked at the girl.

He was about to yell, when he saw her face. She was deathly pale, and her large blue eyes wide opened in fear. Pale blonde hair, so light as to be stark white, sprouted from her head, wrapped up in a tight, intricate bun. She felt cold. Through her jacket, she shivered, and the chill radiated into Jack's hands from the fabric. The girl breathed out in clouds of frosty air, not uncommon for this time of year. Still, she looked frightened, attacked.

Immediately, she tried to escape Jack's grasp. "Hey, hey!" Jack exclaimed, stopping her. He tried to match a name to the face, and he thought back to his literature class. "Elsa, hey!"

Elsa froze at the sound of her name, and Jack continued, "Elsa, are you alright? What happened?"

A shudder passed through Elsa's body, and she hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, when another voice called out from the street below them.

"Oh look! It's Jackson Overland!"

Jack's gaze hardened, and Elsa must have seen it, for she looked away. Both of them turned to gaze at the new arrivals.

"Wow, Snotlout," Jack smirked, "How did I know this had something to do with you?"

Snotlout paused, giving a confused look up to Jack. "What are you talking about? I was looking for Hiccup. It's a Thursday, right?"

"Yes, it is," Jack replied coolly, "Congratulations, you know the days of the week."

"Just tell me where he is, Overland," Snotlout scowled, folding his beefy arms across his chest as he glared up at Jack.

"He's taking a test, Jorgenson."

"God, he's such a nerd," Snotlout muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" Jack shouted. He let Elsa go, stalking down the steps towards the boy. "What do you want, Snotlout? He's busy right now."

Snotlout glared down at Jack, wrinkling up his large nose. "I was returning his math textbook. In case you forgot, we're family, and he helps me out sometimes. But whatever, I'll just drop it off at his house later."

"You can just give it to me," Jack said.

"Fine, if you want to be difficult about it," Snotlout shrugged, taking his backpack off and getting out the book. After tucking the bundle of rosemary into his hoodie pocket, Jack accepted it begrudgingly, holding Snotlout away at arm's length. "I'll see you later, Jack."

"Hopefully not," Jack muttered, tucking the textbook away in his own backpack.

"I heard that, Overland," Snotlout called back as he walked away.

"Good."

Jack pulled at the hem of his hoodie, before he shouldered his backpack again. He and Snotlout had a sort of rivalry, for reasons both of them had forgotten years ago. Maybe it had to do with Hiccup, but the boy only tried to prevent fighting between them. Jack huffed in annoyance, and turned back towards the school.

"So, Elsa, what's going on…?" he trailed off, seeing nothing.

Elsa had run off.

Confused, Jack gazed around himself, searching for anywhere the girl might have disappeared to. Eventually he decided that she must have entered the school building, and so he dismissed her from his mind. She'd seemed frightened, though, as if something were chasing her.

A thought suddenly occurred to Jack, and he remembered the date. He cursed, and dashed off to the bus stop, hoping he hadn't missed his ride.

The graveyard was cold, as always. Something about the dead made the air around it eerie, uncomfortable. Jack honestly had no idea what it was, but in the chilly late autumn air, the cold became more than just a feeling. Jack shivered as he walked through the gates, not because of the atmosphere, but because of the wind that blew across his hoodie.

He stepped between the neat rows of gravestones lain out, making his way for the hill off to the side of the cemetery. Frost crunched underneath his feet, breaking with the stiff blades of dried grass. Jack loved the cold, always had. But now it seemed to bite out at him, attacking him in his vulnerable state.

Jack wasn't vulnerable though. He had no weakness here, not after ten years.

At the top of the hill was a large tree. Its dark boughs wound into the air, spiraling up and scratching at the sky with its bare branches. In the spring it blossomed white, sending its petals across the graveyard like a fragrant snow on the wind. In the summer, the leaves sprouted bright green and created a shade beneath it fit for a lifetime of picnicking, if not for the location. When autumn came, the same leaves turned to fire, hues of red and orange and gold lighting up the branches in a cold flame, chilled by the breezes that pulled the blaze off of the bark. But now at the beginning of winter, the fire was put out, and the wood became pale grey with the frost that crept across it. It looked stiff, almost frozen like a skeleton, and in this season it reflected its forlorn duty as the guardian of the cemetery.

As Jack approached, he looked up through the branches, seeing the dismal grey clouds that drifted lazily overhead. Despite himself, he smiled, enjoying the rush of wind that swept over his face.

At the foot of the tree a circle of gravestones ringed the roots. Fifteen markers; all laid neatly around the trunk, two of which were only there for memory, the rest containing their wards.

Jack knelt before the nearest two, and removed the rosemary from his pocket. His hands were shaking, but he placed the bouquet in front of the smaller grave, and his smile faded. He pushed, trying his hardest to at least smirk weakly. A rock settled in his chest, weighing him down six feet to join the broken soul.

"Emma," he murmured. He cleared his throat, coughing into his arm. He tried again, "Emma, I'm here again. I… Well, school's been hell. Thank god I have Hiccup, right? And Mom," he shifted his gaze to the larger gravestone, "I'm keeping my grades up. Or at least… they're average. I know you'd have wanted me to go to some fancy college or something, but…" Jack trailed off, his voice going quiet in his throat. He coughed again, and finished, "Never mind. I'll be back next week. I have to go greet the others, because Hiccup and Rapunzel are slacking off."

Jack chuckled dryly, before standing up, and crossing a few graves to the right. He passed three. He remembered whom they were for, from the funeral ten years ago. A boy, older than he was then, had cried over all three of them. Whenever Jack passed them he wasn't sure what to feel: pity, or sympathy. Pity because it was three people, or sympathy because only one was left alone. More often than not these days, he just respectfully looked away, deciding on neither.

That boy hadn't returned since then. He'd be about eighteen now, just older than Jack.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Corona. Rapunzel's doing well, but she couldn't come today. Her… 'Mother' is getting annoyed with the visits. No offense to either of you, but you had terrible decision making when writing your will. Rapunzel doesn't complain much, but Gothel's kind of a bi – witch!

"You should have let her stay with Hiccup and me. Not that Stoick would have enjoyed a third kid, but it would have been fun… Anyway, she'll bring extra flowers next week. I'll make sure of it. She… she misses you both."

And finally, Jack turned to the grave directly to the right of the two markers. He took one look at the weathered stone and sighed. Birds flocked over the gravestone, mostly pigeons, with a bright red cardinal fluttering about in the crowd. A few ravens pecked around as well, striving for the birdseed and breadcrumbs scattered across the stone. Every week, Hiccup doused the grave with the food, at first claiming that his mother loved the birds, and now just doing it out of habit.

"Mrs. Haddock," Jack bluntly stated, "you're son is extremely weird. But he's doing fine. He's making up a test today, because I made him sick last week when there was that huge blizzard. I promise I'm taking care of him, though. He said he'd bring more birdseed next week, unless you want him to bring something else."

Of course, Jack received no answer, nor was he expecting one.

He waved goodbye to the air, and looked up at the tree one last time, before he began to back away. He made his way down the hill and left the cemetery. Instead of walking back to the bus stop, however, he started his walk back towards town. The street he walked on bordered the forest to one side. Jack turned toward the tree line, and trudged forward.

Beneath his feet the leaves crackled louder than the frost. He gazed around him, lost in vague thoughts of nothing important, letting the chill of the air weave through his hoodie. It nipped at him lightly, and Jack almost chuckled at the small sensation against his skin. He brushed a hand over the cold bark of the trees, feeling the knotted surface scratch at his fingers. Around him the wilderness was rough, just a small sliver cut out of the world and saved for him.

Everything was quiet, save for his footsteps. Soon, the incessant crunch of dried leaves faded to soft shuffles on the earth, as the dirt beneath his feet became littered with sand. Jack heard the sound of water in the distance, small waves rolling over each other. The trees began to thin, and he emerged onto the shore of Arendelle Lake.

The water stretched out before him for at least a mile. To the left, the forest continued, only becoming thicker as it bordered the lake. About halfway across, the land suddenly dropped off into a valley, and the lake fell off into a waterfall, pouring out into the Arendelle Fjord.

Unseen below the cliffs, Jack knew the river continued to trace the border of Burgess. One of the main roads out of the city was the bridge that stretched across it, leading to the outside world.

But Jack didn't look that way, his gaze instead traveling to his right. In that direction, the sandy shore continued below the tree line, undeterred by the forest as it curved around the lake. Jack squinted against the white sunlight that peeked through the grey clouds, following the shore all the way around the water. Directly across from him, the land built high up into a hill, right up to the edge of the waterfall's cliff. Perched almost precariously on the rocks, surrounded by the tallest pines, was Arendelle Manor.

In the bleak light of early winter, the Manor looked regal, like a bright beacon among the grey and dark green. Few trees of fire lingered on the high cliff, and so the only vibrancy came from the faded pastel tiles on the roof of the castle. Light pink and orange that used to be different shades of brown maybe a century or so ago lingered in the woodwork, the rest of the building taken by rugged grey stones. The towers of the castle spired into the air, stained glass windows glassy in the sunlight.

From where he stood, Jack saw it as an image from a storybook.

This was one of the only peaceful places in Burgess, where few people came, and when they did, they always fell silent in awe of the atmosphere that surrounded the lake. It was almost sacred, untouchable by the stain of humanity, if not for the resigned image of the castle in the distance.

Jack walked down closer to the water, and shrugged of his backpack. He dropped it neatly in the sand, and the proceeded to sit down next to it. A few plants, clumps of seaweed and reeds, lingered on the sand here, little bushes of dull green and black. Small mounds of pebbles were scattered in the sand, smooth from years washed by the elements. The wind rushed across the water from the falls, rippling it all back in waves that travelled to the shore. Jack's brown hair blew off of his forehead, but he didn't react, only staring passively out over the water. A cold hardness reflected in his brown eyes, his brows furrowed.

Elsa and her sister, Anna, lived in that manor. Arendelle was a small township, more like a neighborhood, just a small cluster of houses and the large castle. They were legally not within the territory of Burgess, but no one really considered it. The only thing separating them from the rest of the city was the road that curved around the edge of the lake, and one could walk the entire length there and back within an hour.

Jack wondered what it must be like, living all alone in that large house. The two girls' parents filled two more of the fifteen graves surrounding that tree in the graveyard. All they had left were the few servants that remained to raise the children, most of them leaving without an authority in place.

Again, Jack couldn't decide pity or sympathy.

He took up a pebble in his hand. He weighed it for a moment, before he tossed it at the water. It skipped once, twice, before it fell beneath the shallow waves.

A sigh left Jack's lips, and he let his eyes drop.

He reached for his backpack absently, grasping the air for the touch of the fabric. Instead, he found wood.

Shocked, Jack looked down to see in his fist a long stick of wood. It had been lying right next to his backpack, apparently for some while, as the outline of its shape remained in the sand when Jack picked it up. Jack drew the stick across his lap. It must have been a piece of driftwood from the woods along the lake, a branch broken from a tree perhaps. The wood was blunt at one end, smoothed out by the water of the lake, and the other end twisted, breaking off into a shepherd's crook.

Jack smiled down at it and ran his hands along the length. The wood was bumpy, but it felt smooth to the touch, even with the bark still laid across its surface.

Suddenly he heard the crackling of smashed leaves behind him. He whipped around, to see a figure emerging from the woods.

Jack slowly stood to his feet, brandishing his newfound stick in front of him, preparing to guard against the approaching figure. They were running, and if they weren't dangerous, then whatever following them might be.

And then the figure came out, and Jack lowered the driftwood.

Elsa ran from the woods, her chest heaving beneath her winter coat. Her hands were gloved, and she was still shivering. The bun tied to her head was a mess, tangles of hair sticking out, ready to fall loose.

"Elsa!" Jack exclaimed, shocked. "Elsa, are you alright?"

The girl snapped her head around, just noticing Jack.

"Stay – stay back!" she cried.

Confused, Jack stepped forward. "Elsa, what's wrong? Is someone chasing you?"

"Go away! I don't want to hurt you!"

The concern in Jack's chest was starting to turn to panic, and he approached faster, letting the stick in his grasp fall to his side.

"Elsa, what are you talking about? Who's hurting you?"

"Jack!" she shouted.

The temperature suddenly dropped, the chill in the air becoming hostile. Jack froze, more surprised that Elsa knew his name than by the sudden cold, and he reached out.

"Elsa," he spoke calmly, "What's wrong?"

"J-Just go away!"

"Elsa," Jack repeated, annoyed now.

He took another step closer, and grabbed for Elsa's arm. The girl flinched away, and brought her hand up.

Ice flew from her hands, and Jack's vision went white.

He fell back on the ground, hard, a pained yell erupting from his throat. Horrified, Elsa backed away, before fleeing along the sand toward Arendelle Manor.

* * *

"Jack! Jack, wake up!"

The voice screamed in his ears, loud and obnoxious, and it made Jack want to punch the large boy it belonged to.

"Jack! Jack, I'm serious! Jack, you'd better not be dead!"

Dead? The voice sounded like it was panicked, almost hysterical. Jack groaned, and finally, he opened his eyes.

"Jack! Jack, you're… what happened to you?"

After blinking the white brightness away, Jack was greeted by the ever-so-pleasant face of Snotlout.

"Gah!" he cried, and he slammed his hand up.

The heel of his palm caught Snotlout in the chin, sending the larger boy sprawling.

Jack sat up abruptly, and winced at the pain in his head. He brought a hand up to his hair, and rubbed furiously. It subsided, but only a little, so he abandoned his efforts, and looked around.

He was on the shore of Arendelle Lake. And it was… snowing?

Flurries of the cold crystal fell from the sky, sweeping across Jack's face with the wind. It was violent, tearing at Jack's hair with the howling gusts of snow. Jack squinted at the attack, looking out at the water.

The surface of the lake roiled in chaos. Tall waves crashed against the shore, spraying ice-cold water into the air.

"What the hell was that for?" Snotlout shouted, sitting up from where he'd fallen on the sand.

"I – I… What happened?"

"The storm started about an hour ago. Hiccup was worried about you, and he wanted to come out and find you. No way I'd let that nerd show me up," Snoutlout muttered.

"Oh, it's nice to see you care about me," Jack replied.

Snotlout ignored him, standing up with a grunt. He stalked over to Jack, his large feet trudging in the sand.

"What happened to you?" the boy asked, holding a hand out to Jack.

"I – What do you mean?"

"Your hair is white, dude. Did you get it dyed or something? Can you dye hair that fast?"

"What are you talking about; my hair isn't white."

Snotlout folded his arms, and argued, "Yeah, it is!"

"I think you have some snow in your eyes, Jorgenson. You might want to get that checked."

"Shut up," Snoutlout said, and he raised an arm to hit Jack in the shoulder. Suddenly he leapt back as if burned. "Ow! What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"You just… You felt really cold."

"Is that all?" Jack scoffed, quirking an eyebrow up at Snotlout.

The boy looked away, embarrassed, and just shrugged it off. "Whatever. Come on; let's get back to town. It's getting really late."

"It's only five o'clock," Jack replied.

Snotlout looked back at Jack, and concern showed in his eyes again. "It's past midnight, Overland. Are you sure you're alright?"

"What? But I just got here, ten minutes ago," Jack said. He looked around himself, gazing at the lake.

Through the snow, it was hard to see the outline of Arendelle Manor, but it was there, the spires scraping up through the sky. And then even higher, above it, the clouds parted, revealing the bright full moon in the night sky.

"This… What's going on?" he breathed.

Panic started to set in, and his breaths came heavily. The feeling burnt his chest, building up through his lungs as he heaved in air. Snow entered his mouth, biting at his tongue as he tried to think.

"Jack," Snotlout warned. "Jack, don't freak out on me now." He reached out to grab Jack's shoulder.

Suddenly ice burst into the air, and Snotlout recoiled. The spikes hovered for a moment, suspended just above Jack's skin, before they dropped to the ground. The snow began to come faster now, whirling down from the clouds above.

Jack's hands began to shake, and he raised them up to look at them. Frost began to curl across his skin, swirling in his palm. He shuddered, as the ice trailed up the sleeves of his jacket, painting the fabric of his hoodie white.

The sand around his feet froze together in clumps of pebbles and ice. He took a step back, the ice following him. Suddenly, he tripped over something.

He landed in the sand with a thud, but the pain that hurt his back was diminished as he looked down at the stick. It was gnarled, twisted at one end into a shepherd's crook. In any other situation, Jack would've thought it looked cool.

Shaking, he reached for it.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Snotlout asked, fear painting his voice.

He took the driftwood in his hands, and frost shot along the length. It cracked loudly, covering the wood with a thin layer of ice.

Then it began to glow, a bright blue light filling the space around him. Jack should have dropped it. He should have dropped it then and there, but he didn't, staring at it mesmerized. The sight of the ice along the wood drove his fear away, and it became a beacon to him. Slowly he stood up, still holding the stick – the staff – out in front of him.

The light faded, and with it, the snow.

The clouds still hovered overhead, keeping the shadow on the beach. Snotlout stared at Jack in fright, standing a good distance away.

Jack smiled wildly, and a laugh erupted in his throat. He felt so full of happiness, about to explode with exuberant joy, and he couldn't hold it in. His heart beat quickly, and he felt the cold within him dull to his stomach.

But then he caught sight of Snotlout, and the bliss went out like a candle, the final smoke coming out with his next breath.

The boy's eyes were wide with fear, and he stepped away shakily, before faintly asking, "What are you?"

"Snotlout, it's – It's me!" Jack said, gesturing wildly.

His staff swung away from him in a wide arc, brandished out towards Snotlout. Ice suddenly shot out of the wood, and the boy yelped, leaping back from the blast. The cold struck the ground, sending sand flying and leaving a frosted mark on the beach.

Snotlout balled his fists, and his eyes came up to glare at Jack. The fear wasn't diminished, but it transformed. Fury painted his irises, and his pupils dilated as he breathed out.

"What the _hell_ are you?" he growled, his voice deadly quiet.

Jack stepped back himself, and replied, "It's me! Jack!"

Snoutlout advanced, his feet crunching through the frost that lie on the sand. He trudged forward, bringing his fists up before his face.

"You're not Jack."

He swung out a punch, aiming for Jack's face. Jack ducked quickly, and backed up further.

The wind began to pick up, diving down to earth again. Snotlout's hair blew across his face in the sudden gale, giving him a wild look in his eyes. Dread seeped into Jack's chest, and it became a rock in his stomach. He took a step back, then another, and finally he turned to flee. His grabbed the strap of his backpack, soaked with snow, as he passed it, heaving the bag over his shoulder.

"Get back here!" Snotlout shouted, beckoning needlessly with his closed fist. He cursed loudly, and dashed after Jack.

They ran across the sand, Jack daring to look over his shoulder at the bull of a boy pursuing him. Snotlout huffed air through his open mouth, his eyes wide in a raging fury.

The gale soon turned to a hurricane, and the wind seemed to push at Jack's back. He turned back forward, one hand on the strap of his backpack, and the other clutching onto his staff with everything he had.

A spark of ice shot out of the blunt end, not the twisted crook, sending a blast back behind him. Snotlout cried out in surprise, before he scowled, and continued his chase.

"You're gonna pay for that, freak!"

Jack's heart hammered in his chest, and he ran. His legs started to burn, but then the wind gave him another push. The ache eased, and he flew over the sand.

Then he looked down, and realized he was really flying.

"Gah!" he screamed, "Holy – Oh!"

The wind scooped him into the air, high above the lake, leaving Snotlout behind on the sand. Jack screamed again as the rushing gale pulled at him, taking him higher. Snotlout was reduced to a speck on the sand, when Jack disappeared behind the clouds.

The roar of the air stopped, suspending him in the night sky.

Around him it was almost silent, only faint wisps of wind breezing below him to let him hover. The black expanse of space hung above him, littered with its own shore of sand, twinkling brightly in the darkness. Stars, billions of them, were spread around him like the waves of an endless ocean, gold and white and blue all in the sea of ink. And hanging in the very center of it all, was the near blinding light of the full moon.

"What's happening to me?" Jack breathed, his eyes opened wide to take in the universe.

The small breezes of air beneath him stopped, and a sudden pit grew in Jack's stomach.

He looked down, to see the clouds parted and the ground miles below.

"Holy–" he cut off in a scream as he plummeted down through the clouds.

The wind roared in his ears again, almost as loud as the blood pounding through his veins. His voice tore from his throat, until he could scream no more, and he was left tumbling through the air.

He tried to focus, blinking frozen tears from his eyes. The wind spun him like a top as he fell, playing with him, laughing with every gust of breath. It seemed to whisper to him, _More… More!_

Jack fought it, and he suddenly was smacked in the face by another gust. He flipped back, only to stop, wrenching into stillness as the air gathered beneath his back.

A groan left his lips, and he felt sick in his stomach. He rolled over on his cushion of wind, to have the support follow him.

He gazed down at the city of Burgess beneath him. There was Arendelle Lake, the waves still furious on its large surface, and there were the falls, dropping down to the river. And inside the curve was the city. There were the lights of downtown, off to the side instead of in the center. Near the middle were the three schools, and out near the edge again was the university. And finally, there were the houses, right next to the shops.

Jack looked around at the invisible wind. He tried nudging it with his mind, thinking: _Down._

And the wind dropped him.

"UP! UP! I LIED JUST TAKE ME UP!" he screamed, shouting at the wind.

Suddenly he shot like a rocket into the air, and then the wind stopped him, slamming him into a ceiling of air.

"Oh, god that sucked," Jack muttered, letting his feet dangle below him.

The wind seemed to laugh at him, drifting lazily by his ear before it dipped down to support him again.

"I hate you."

The air burst, bobbing him down towards the earth.

"I'm joking!" Jack shouted, and he stopped. His eyes gazed around wildly, scared and shaking. A shiver passed through his body.

The wind laughed again, a light breeze that ruffled his hair.

Despite himself, Jack smiled. The exuberant joy from when he'd first found the staff filled him again. A laugh bubbled up from his chest, bursting out of his mouth cheerfully. He beamed down at the wind, trying to see it. There! He saw the outline of the currents swirling around him. They seemed to wave at him, and another laugh brushed over his face.

"You just want to have some fun, don't you?" he laughed. "Alright! Take me down to the city!"

The wind happily obliged, and it made a slide, pushing Jack along it. The boy whooped, leaping along the currents as they pulled at him. A ramp formed, launching him into the air, and he dropped down to the streets.

He dived through the empty roads. Few people were out this late, the night sky high above, shrouded by the clouds. Jack dodged over a car, flipped down again, and laughed. The streetlights rushed past him, glowing yellow in the dark, and the shop windows were lit up with Christmas decorations. Jack smirked at them, remembering the Thanksgiving party at Rapunzel's just earlier that week.

"Hey! Overland – no, just… Whatever the hell you are!"

The wind suddenly left, dropping Jack onto the road. He fell, grunting, as he rolled to a stop on the gravel. Dazed, he shook his head, but then quickly stood up. He dived behind the nearest car parked on the curb, clutching his staff to his chest.

"Hey, frosty-freak! Get out here so I can beat your ass!"

"Oh, god," Jack breathed. He cursed to himself, trying not to lose his mind. "How did he get here so fast?"

He peeked out from behind the car, to see Snotlout stalking down the street. He looked furious, his chest heaving, his fists still balled at his sides. His large head swept from side to side, searching the street for any sign of Jack.

Jack turned back to rest against the car, his breath fogging in the night air before him.

"He's going to kill me," the boy stated simply.

A thought occurred to him.

He fished his hand into his pocket, relieved to find his phone. He dialed Hiccup's number.

"Come on, come on, pick up!" he muttered under his breath.

"Ice-kid-thing! Where the hell are you?" shouted Snotlout, his voice closer.

Suddenly the receiver clicked.

"Hiccup!" Jack cried, his voice a hushed whisper.

"Jack!" the boy responded on the other line. He sounded relieved, but then he angrily shouted, "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

"Calm down, dad," Jack muttered. "That's not important right now. Your cousin's trying to kill me."

"Snotlout? But he came looking for you earlier! He told me to stay home because of the storm, and–"

"He did what?" Jack asked. He shook his head. "Never mind that. Listen, Hiccup, something really weird is happening to me. Like, it's a cool weird, but it's also kind of scary, and–"

"I'm proud that you've finally gotten your first period, Jack," Hiccup snapped, his voice surprisingly hostile.

"Woah, Hiccup, what? You've never–"

"While you were missing for _five hours_," Hiccup interrupted, "Something happened over here too."

"Yeah, but Hiccup, listen, I just woke up on the beach, right, and–"

"You need to get home. Now," Hiccup said. Jack heard the sound of a door closing. "Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed, his voice far from the receiver now. "Dad, Jack's fine, he's just… Where are you Jack?"

"What? Oh," he looked around frantically, and spotted a store sign. "I'm right in front of the… Santoff Claussen Toy Store? It's on Arendelle Road, leading out of town. Snotlout's here too; want me to say hi?"

"No, Jack, I want you to come home. We need to talk."

"Yeah, and I need to figure out how to survive your cousin!"

"There you are!" Snotlout suddenly exclaimed, his head appearing around the hood of the car.

Jack cursed. He stood up and ran across the street, to the toy store.

He knocked on the door furiously. The lights were on inside.

"Where're you going, freak?"

Jack shot a blast of ice from his staff, staining the street with frost. Snotlout leapt out of the way, and ran towards Jack.

"You frosty-freak!" he exclaimed, drawing a fist back.

Suddenly the door opened in front of Jack, and he slipped inside before looking. He slammed the wooden door shut, and Snotlout's fist pounded into it.

"Hey! Hey, get back out here!"

Jack flicked his eyes up to his savior. He was a large man, with a bursting white beard that draped over his chest. His blue eyes stared, stunned, at Jack, an ice pick in one hand and his other free.

"Thank you," Jack gasped. "Do you have somewhere I can hide?"

The man nodded, and said, "Yes, yes of course." His accent was heavily Russian. He gave Jack a wary look, before turning to the rest of his shop.

Jack followed him, walking deeper into the store. Everything looked handmade, wooden flooring and plastered walls. Every shelf was stacked with toys: little trains, dolls with woven dresses. Quite a few snow globes occupied one shelf, and another was filled with strange, elf-like creatures. The electric lamps that hung from the ceiling flickered like candlelight, washing the entire shop in a warm glow.

The sound of Snotlout's fists on the door echoed throughout the shop, but Jack ignored it, only hugging his staff closer. He walked between the aisles, to the end of them.

A small workshop was set up in the back of the shop, a few large tables set off to the side with a large sculpting area in the center. Standing freely in the space was an ice sculpture. It's surface looked like liquid fire in the yellow light, like amber slowly turning to honey. It wasn't finished, but Jack could see snowflakes set in the base, just beginning to emerge from the block.

The man saw the way Jack looked at the ice.

"Do you like it? I started after shop closed," he said. He walked past it however, continuing through a door.

"It's… cold?" Jack supplied.

"Ah, it is not finished yet. You will like it then, да?"

The next room was a storage closet. It was small, stuffy, and a large kiln in the back took up half of the space. Loose papers, brushes, picks, and other tools lay on the shelves. Jack squeezed in, suddenly regretting his choice of shelter.

The man knelt down on the floor, and took in his hands a large ring attached to the floorboards. He heaved it open, revealing the trapdoor, and the staircase underneath.

"There is a room down there. You may stay as long as you like. I will call you when boy leaves, yes?"

"Uh…" Jack peered into the dark staircase, uncertain. "I'm not so sure…"

"Oh, my boy, it is safe."

Jack's eyes flicked up to the man, and he smiled weakly. The ice pick glittered sharply in the Russian's fist. "Listen, dude, you seem like a really nice person, and that's great and all, but I'm a little uncomfortable with going down into your dungeon. Just a little."

The man looked perplexed, before he suddenly reared back and laughed. He held out a hand.

"Where are my manners? I am Nicholas St. North! But you may call me North."

Jack grimaced, and took North's hand. "Yes, and I'm Jack–"

"Jack!" North exclaimed. "That is good name, да? You go down now; I will call you when other boy leaves."

"Wait, but–!"

North shoved Jack to the stairs, and he tripped, falling into the darkness. Just as he raised his head, the light from the storage room was cut off, and the trapdoor slammed closed.

"Jack!" rang Hiccup's voice faintly in the black. Jack's phone light blazed in his palm. "Jack, are you still there?"

Jack quickly raised the phone to his ear. "Hiccup! Hiccup, yes, I'm here! I ran into the toyshop to get away from Snotlout, and… well, long story short I'm now trapped in a crazy old Russian's dungeon."

"What?" Hiccup asked. "Jack, where are you?"

"I'm in the cellar of Santoff Claussen Toy Store."

The line was silent for a moment, and Jack wrapped his hands around the staff still in his hands. He looked around himself in the darkness.

"I'm on my way."

The line clicked off.

"Wait! Hiccup!"

No one answered.

Jack looked back down the stairs. He looked down to the staff in his hands, barely able to make out its outline in the pitch black dark. He thought about the frost he'd made earlier. Maybe if…

The tip of the staff came alight with ice, steaming lightly with cold. The ice glowed a dim blue, enough for a torch. Jack looked now, and he saw that the stairs curved, most likely to be underneath the toy store.

He looked behind him once, at the trapdoor.

Taking a deep breath, Jack steeled himself, and began his descent down to the room below.

* * *

**A/N**: Yeah… Jack's an idiot. But was he ever really good at making decisions? Anyways, I screwed up. Again. And now you're left with this.

I currently have more than 13 chapters planned, and that's just the exposition. This is going to be a long one, folks! :P

For those that read my other works, I am currently writing chapter 7 of Learning to Live. Not sure when it will be up, but it will be soon. And it probably won't be long. Then I might actually work on that RotBTD fic I started way back in the summer. Maybe.

The next chapter will be Hiccup's point of view, and then possibly Rapunzel's? Yeah, my POV here will be very confusing. I apologize.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

~Renoku


End file.
